First I went to a Bareburger in Downtown Manhattan, one of the few locations that has the Impossible Burger on the menu.
When my food arrived, I almost thought they delivered the wrong meal. The Impossible Burger looked exactly like a hamburger. I ordered it with vegan cheese, lettuce, and tomato on a sprout bun.
It definitely seared like a hamburger would. The Impossible Burger relies on a plant-derived ingredient called heme for its meaty feel and look. It's made from wheat, coconut oil, and potatoes.
The inside of the burger certainly looked more like beef than a veggie burger. It didn't "bleed," but it did have a pink hue on the inside, and it tasted a lot more like beef than any veggie burger I've ever had. The texture was also very similar to beef, and the burger was juicy.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdAfter Bareburger, I headed to TGI Friday's, which has the Beyond Burger on the menu at all locations. The burger is also available in many grocery chains nationwide.
I ordered the burger as listed on the menu, minus the cheese and sauce. Just like the Impossible Burger, it looked exactly like a hamburger.
It also smelled strongly like a hamburger, more so than the Impossible Burger did.
It seared and charred like a hamburger would. Beyond Meat's burger — made from yeast extract, coconut oil, and peas — appears to bleed because of the addition of beets.
The inside of the burger was red, but this burger didn't "bleed" either. It also was more dry than the Impossible Burger. The textures of the two burgers were different, but both resembled beef more than a veggie burger.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdBoth the Impossible Burger and the Beyond Burger looked, smelled, and tasted like beef — it was clear that the goal of each company was to appeal to meat eaters. Both burgers were delicious and prove that lab-grown meat can be a viable menu option and an alternative to meat. But, overall, the Impossible Burger had a better texture and flavor.
It tasted enough like beef to satisfy a meat-eater, but not so much so that it would turn away a vegan or vegetarian.